Method and system for establishing and using a social network to facilitate people in life issues

• US 9,978,107 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetSoc, LLC
• Original Assignee: NetSoc, LLC
• Inventors: White, Emily J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US14/974,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 707791
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide numerous applications and implementations of a social network to facilitate individuals to resolve various life issues. These issues may include issues that arise when individuals or families relocate, including logistic problems, assimilation of family members in a community, and roommate pairings. As will be described, embodiments described herein greatly facilitate corporations in relocating their employees logistically, and also assist employees and their families with life issues that may determine whether the employees'"'"' relocation will be a success.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a social network, the method being implemented on a network computer system and comprising:

maintaining a list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant in the plurality of participants corresponds to one or more individuals, wherein the list also includes information associated with at least one of each participant or the one or more individuals that correspond to each participant;

presenting a user with an interface from which the user makes a selection of a category from a plurality of categories;

in response to receiving the selection of the category by the user,

displaying, for the user, some of the information associated with each of multiple participants from the plurality of participants which match the selection of the category by the user, while shielding contact information associated with each of the multiple participants;

wherein displaying some of the information associated with each of the multiple participants is based at least in part on a rating of individual participants in the plurality of participants;

enabling the user to send an inquiry message to one or more of the multiple participants, while shielding the contact information from the user, the contact information including any messaging identifier that is associated with each of the one or more participants;

tracking a response time of each of the one or more participants who received the message from the user; and

updating the rating associated with each of the one or more participants based at least in part on the tracked response time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of the category from the plurality of categories includes receiving input that identifies a geographic location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying some of the information associated with each of multiple participants includes displaying an image that is included in the information associated with each of the multiple participants.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying information for another participant that matches the category selection of the user based on a referral provided by one or more users of the network computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying some of the information associated with each of the multiple participants includes displaying information associated with individual participants who match the category selection and have a higher rating in favor of information associated with individual participants who match the category selection and have a lower rating.

6. A computer system comprising:

a memory to store a list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant in the plurality of participants corresponds to one or more individuals, wherein the list also includes information associated with at least one of each participant or the one or more individuals that correspond to each participant;

one or more processors that execute instructions to;

maintain the list;

present a user with an interface from which the user makes a selection of a category from a plurality of categories;

in response to receiving the selection of the category by the user, present, for the user, some of the information associated with each of multiple participants from the plurality of participants which match the selection of the category by the user, while shielding contact information associated with each of the multiple participants;

wherein displaying some of the information associated with each of the multiple participants is based at least in part on a rating of individual participants in the plurality of participants;

enabling the user to send an inquiry message to one or more of the multiple participants, while shielding the contact information from the user, the contact information including any messaging identifier that is associated with each of the one or more participants;

tracking a response time of each of the one or more participants who received the message from the user; and

updating the rating associated with each of the one or more participants based at least in part on the tracked response time.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors receive the selection of the category from the plurality of categories by receiving input that identifies a geographic location.

8. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors display some of the information associated with each of multiple participants by displaying an image that is included in the information associated with each of the multiple participants.

9. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors:

identify information for another participant that matches the category selection of the user based on a referral provided by one or more users of the computer system.

10. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors display some of the information associated with each of the multiple participants by displaying information associated with individual participants who match the category selection and have a higher rating in favor of information associated with individual participants who match the category selection and have a lower rating.

11. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the computer system corresponds to a server, or a combination of servers.